Our Trustees

The Chair of Restore Support Network who, prior to her retirement in 2014, was a senior member of Health & Justice, Public Health England. In this role Dr Piper was instrumental in developing public health policy and implementing plans to improve the health and wellbeing of older people in prison and other places of detention. Between 2000 and 2013 she was Senior Public Health Physician, Offender Health Unit, Department of Health, responsible for formulating policy development for health services for people in contact with the criminal justice system. She was the lead government official ensuring that responsibility for the social care of people in prisons was clearly set out for the first time in the Care Act 2014.

Bernadette MacDonald-Raggett

"My background is as a Motivational Speaker and former Community Magistrate specialising in Family Law. Currently my roles are as a Volunteer for Prison Dialogue, giving practical advice to offenders on all aspects of the law with a view to helping them prepare for life outside prison and as a Dorset Community Engagement Representative, representing the BME (Black and Minority ethnic) community in the prisons; as recommended within the 2017 Lammy Review.

I am committed to supporting ex-offenders upon their release so that they can escape the cycle of reoffending and become valued members of their communities."

Bernadette is a member of the Wessex Crown Prosecution Hate Crime Service Panel.

Diane Beck

"Being a Trustee for the Restore Support Network charity has been an interesting and rewarding development in my personal life; it grew directly out of my professional work as a full-time registered nurse and my specialist areas of ageing and older people. More recently, I have been working as an advanced care practitioner from within a local prison with a focus on supporting those with long term conditions.

As a Trustee, my role is to guide and challenge the approach taken across the network. Thanks to the peer mentors within Restore Support Network, I take their advice and guidance back to the prison to help those facing release.

I look forward to pushing on with our care goals, building the network and having a sustainable future demonstrating our role in reducing the risk of reoffending and improving the health outcomes for those with convictions."

Alan Mercel-Sanca

Alan is a member of the Wessex Crown Prosecution Service Hate Crime Panel and Male Co-Chair of 'Just a Ball Game' - The UK's grassroots anti-homophobia organisation for football and sport. He is also a leading advocate on race and LGBT issues.

Dr James McKinnon (President) PhD

James spent his early years as a ‘church court representative’ (before the advent of the Scottish Probation Service) and then joined the Vatican Diplomatic Core in Rome where he also worked as a Chaplain to several prisons. He later became the CEO of the Rathbone Society and then joined NACRO as a Director where he established a national network. This was followed as a Director of the Disabilities Living Foundation for offenders with disabilities, a Director of the Butler Trust and then Chairman of the Hardman Trust.

It was during his well-earned retirement that he was persuaded to make available his considerable talents and expertise initially as Chairman of Trustees of Restore Support Network and now as its first life president. James considers the mentoring and care needs of this sometimes forgotten and vulnerable sector of society to be worthy of interrupting his retirement.

Marilyn Lucas

Marilyn was appointed a Justice of the Peace and magistrate in 1991 and retired in June 2016. She was a local councillor for Trafford Council for eight years and Mayoress to the Borough of Trafford in 2007/08 and 2010/11. Marilyn is also Chair of the Women of the North Charity.

Nicola Eldon

Has had extensive experience in fundraising with cancer charities in the past and now wishes to use this expertise assist with Restore Support Network.